


sometimes you have to give yourself the space to be quiet (there are times I turn off the world) (BeeWare)

by MadHare0512



Series: fantasy seems to have become reality (love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment) [3]
Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempted Murder, Boys Kissing, But warning just in case, Canon-Typical Violence, Episode: s01 e03: BeeWare, F/F, F/M, Graphic Description of Corpses, Grieving, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Murder, Nick is extraordinarily intelligent, Out of Character Moments, Timeline What Timeline, also not explict, altered timeline, but again warning, not explite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24754243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadHare0512/pseuds/MadHare0512
Summary: Social media had been a bit crazy ever since the first platform was created. It was a cause for distraction. Police officers had been pulling people over and giving them tickets for it ever since. Social media was amazing, good to share things that you'd done, good to share accomplishments, good to show people who you knew. Good to cover up a murder."She'll sting you one day. Oh, ever so gently, so you hardly even feel it. 'Til you fall dead."
Relationships: Adalind Schade/Juliette Silverton, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nick Burkhardt & Adalind Schade, Nick Burkhardt & Hank Griffin, Nick Burkhardt & Juliette Silverton, Nick Burkhardt & Rosalee Calvert & Monroe (Grimm), Nick Burkhardt/Monroe, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert, Nick Burkhardt/Rosalee Calvert/Monroe, Rosalee Calvert/Monroe
Series: fantasy seems to have become reality (love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617997
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	sometimes you have to give yourself the space to be quiet (there are times I turn off the world) (BeeWare)

**Author's Note:**

> It took me so long to finish this, but I wanted it to be perfect. So, I make no apologies. Enjoy!

sometimes you have to give yourself the space to be quiet (there are times I turn off the world)  
(BeeWare)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Canon Divergence, Altered Timeline**

Social media had been a bit crazy ever since the first platform was created. It was a cause for distraction. Police officers had been pulling people over and giving them tickets for it ever since.

Social media was amazing, good to share things that you'd done, good to share accomplishments, good to show people who you knew.

Good to cover up a murder.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

_"She'll sting you one day. Oh, ever so gently, so you hardly even feel it. 'Til you fall dead."_

The trolly arrived right on time, as it had for many years before. The people standing at the stop began to file in as the door opened, heedless of the danger they were walking into. A woman's black heels clicked on the pavement as she stepped up, a man allowed her in front of him and she smiled her thanks as she stepped onto the bus. People murmured their apologies as they stepped too close to others and spoke surprised "Oh, excuse me"s when they bumped into each other. They grabbed the loops hanging from the ceiling and squeezed in tight as they dared, each going somewhere important to them. The woman with the black heels felt something nudge her back, she grunted in surprise, twisting away from the uncomfortable contact, the short-cropped, blonde-haired man behind her murmured an apology, gently setting his big green bag down at his feet and falling still. The conductor nodded to himself once all the people were settled in, closing the door and manipulating the buttons and gears in front of him to start the trolly forward again as the doors fell shut.

The man with short-cropped blonde hair began looking around scanning his surroundings and people began wondering what the Hell he was doing. The security camera flickered and the blonde man seemed to react to a silent signal, reaching down to rummage in his bag. The woman with the black heels watched him worriedly, but when the man only pulled out a rather large speaker she relaxed. The speaker began playing loud music, the noise filling the small trolly and people began to cheer as the Village People's Y.M.C.A. began playing. They sang along, doing the normal dance and in general just having a good time. The conductor glanced back, shaking his head and keeping his focus on the machinery and the road. The woman in the black heels smiled, growing a bit uncomfortable as the people around her bumped into her while they danced, but she kept her peace. She would be getting off and the next stop anyhow, no big deal.

The woman with the black heels stumbled as someone crashed into her from behind, but no one paid any mind as the trolly came to a stop.

"Alright, everybody off!" the conductor called. The people began filing out, cheers pouring off their lips and hands meeting in high fives and handshakes. The conductor sighed as the last person made it off the trolly, "Gotta call this in." Then he noticed the black heels at the back of the trolly, "Miss?" He stood, walking over to where she had fallen, still and calm as an unbroken lake.

He turned the corner and gasped. "Oh, no."

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Nick had woken up to the sound of his alarm that morning, eyes flickering open with a sigh. He sincerely wished he didn't have to go back to work, but with Marie's funeral being over three and a half days now, Nick knew he needed to get back into the real world. He'd grieved for a week now and he could continue grieving while working. With a quiet grunt of effort, he managed to sit up and gently disentangle himself from his lovers, moving carefully around them to get out of the bed and to the shower.

Once he was in the bathroom waiting for the water to heat up, he sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. There were lingering (faded and hardly noticeable) dark spots under his eyes from the sleepless nights he'd had after Marie died. The nightmares hit him even harder and it made it not only hard on him, but on Monroe and Rosalee as well. He wished it wasn't like this, but it is what it is. Monroe and Rosalee had both assured him multiple times that they didn't mind his nightmares, but he also knew that his nightmares were often physical and he doubted it had changed over time.

A quick rapping on the closed bathroom door caught his attention, "Yeah?"

"Mind if I join you?" asked Rosalee, "I have an early shift today."

Nick hummed as he pretended to think, "Alright."

The door opened and Rosalee slipped in, closing the door behind her. She hugged him from behind, forehead nestled into the space between his shoulder blades. "You don't have to go back today. Captain Renard would understand if you took another day off."

Nick huffed out a laugh, letting his head hang down. "Sadly, the world moved on without Marie," he said softly, "I've got to do the same."

Rosalee sighed, "Alright. Come on, you're freezing."

They showered quickly, neither interested in anything more than a few kisses, and Nick let Rosalee stay in the shower a few minutes longer in favor of going to get her coffee ready. She'd have a hard day if she was getting up early. Monroe and Rosalee where both nocturnal _Wesen_ , neither liked getting up early. Monroe would even spend a few hours in bed again after he did his Pilates, his business hours started at 9 and not a moment before. Nick made the coffee and had it ready in her thermos by the time Rosalee came down with her hair pulled into a neat ponytail and her makeup a tad darker than normal. She smiled her thanks at Nick as she sipped at the mug full of coffee he handed her. She pressed a kiss to his cheek as Monroe ambled down the stairs in his workout clothes to begin his pilates. Rosalee pressed kisses to Monroe's cheeks, forehead, and lips as she started outside. Nick did the same and followed, catching up with her just outside the door to give her kisses of her own. They went their separate ways; Rosalee, out to the Spice Shop, Nick heading to the precinct.

Hank met him at their desks and told him about the case. With another sigh, Nick nodded and rushed off after his partner, slipping into the passenger seat of Hank's smaller car. At least working he could keep his mind off of Aunt Marie and all the questions and doubts still zipping through his brain. They rolled to a stop at the scene and Nick felt a pang of frustration hit his chest as he noticed the people craning their necks for a look. He'd been in the media often enough to know that victims of these kinds of crimes rarely needed to be on the 11 o'clock news.

"Dying on a streetcar while dancing to Y.M.C.A," Hank offered a sort of morbid chuckle as they got out of the car and started towards the crime scene, "What do you think?"

Nick chose to ignore Hank's attempt at a joke. As far as he was concerned, he hoped to never grow this kind of dark humor, but he wouldn't begrudge Hank his method of coping with the cases they saw, "Sounds like a crappy way to go." He finished pulling on his gloves as one of the officers on the scene pulled up the tape and the pair ducked through it.

They met Wu at the door and he began explaining the scene to them. "Hey. Body I.D.'d as Serena Dunbrook, 34. Live in the Pearl," the Sergent led them into the bus as he spoke, effectively multitasking as he explained the scene further.

"Probably on the way to work," Nick replied, glancing around the streetcar.

"Which is a swank law firm of Berman, Rautbort, and associates," Sgt Wu added in.

Nick didn't know why that sounded familiar to him, but he pushed the thought away. "Wallet biopsy on her purse?" he asked. Sgt Wu handed over a driver's license and Nick took it, "This is our victim?"

"That's what she _used_ to look like," Wu gave him a sympathetic glance as he led the way back.

Nick knelt next to the sheet-covered body and nodded to Sgt Wu. He still got nauseous at the sight of the dead, despite being on the job for this long, but he needed to see the victim, needed to see any evidence she may have left behind; whether she fought for her life or if it was taken before she knew she was in danger. The Sergent pulled back the sheet and Nick felt his blood run cold. The woman's face had swollen to twice its normal size and turned an ugly shade of grey, eyes bulging out of their sockets like golf balls. Nick felt his stomach roll and his face pale, but he continued searching this poor woman for a clue to what had happened.

One thing Nick knew for sure, based on her nails and scratches on her throat, this woman had not gone quickly or quietly, and for that, Nick was sorry.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Sgt Wu offered the predicted COD to Hank as Nick continued to examine the body. Nick wasn't much interested in what the 'geek squad' thought until their Medical Examiner had confirmed it, preferring fact to speculation. However, it would be good to know if the poor woman was allergic to anything. "We need to get the ME on her medical records," Nick pulled the pen from his pocket, "See if she was allergic to anything."

"Ask me, this is a waste of your time," Sgt Wu put in, arms folded and looking at the woman with clear discomfort.

Nick almost couldn't believe it, but he also knew that his Sergent hated paperwork just like the rest of them did. However, instinct told Nick that this case wasn't so open and shut, "We don't know if this was an accident yet." Nick glanced at Wu and then back down at the woman. God, she was unrecognizable with all the swelling.

Sgt Wu offered a joke, "Must've been a killer bee."

Nick's lips pulled into a quick smile before his attention was focused completely on the body once more. Hank picked up the conversation, spotting it when Nick knew this wasn't an accident, "There was a swarm that attacked a dog in Cathedral Park last week." Hank smiled, crossing his arms and letting Wu take the bait. The Sergent didn't know Nick as Hank did and Hank knew well that Nick was getting somewhere. Nick wasn't often wrong when it came to these things and Hank thought it better to trust the younger's instinct. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with it.

Sure enough, Sgt Wu huffed, hands going to his hips, "Okay, come on, twenty bucks says no foul play. Who's in?"

Nick's eye caught on the very thing he was hoping to find, "Me." He glanced back at Wu as he pointed to the evidence with the end of the pen, "Pay up. Looks like a puncture wound." It wasn't very big, only twice the size of the ballpoint on the pen but it was there, pink and still puffy, nestled right behind the girl's ear.

Sgt Wu and Hank leaned in to get a closer look. "Maybe a needle?" Hank offered.

"More like a nail," Sgt Wu replied, the discomfort back in full force.

"Time to get Harper out of bed," Nick stood, putting his pen back into his pocket.

Sgt Wu smiled, "Ooh, lucky you. Bet your gal's wearing something sexy." He looked at Hank with a teasing smile, referencing the only night Hank couldn't remember after getting completely hammered the night before. He'd ended up crashing at Dr. Harper's house and the department still teased him to death about it. Nick didn't know what happened, the incident being before his time as a Detective, but he still got a kick out of Hank's resigned sigh.

They let the body be taken away and quickly went over the rest of the scene. They headed back to the precinct once they were done, meeting their favorite Medical Examiner there just as she was getting to the fun stuff. She led them in and picked up a clipboard, handing it to Nick, "Here it is. Cause of death; anaphylactic shock. Mode; Apitoxin."

Nick gestured with the clipboard as Harper pulled on her gloves, "As in bee venom." He handed the clipboard to Hank.

Dr. Harper smiled as she nodded. "Gold star. Phylum Arthropoda. Class Insecta. I sent a sample to the local Apiarist for further analysis."

Hank interjected, "That's a beekeeper." Nick looked over as Hank added, "I can play this game too."

Nick offered a quick smile to Hank's self-satisfied smirk. "Now, let's pretend that it wasn't a bee sting."

Dr. Harper looked up from the body, "Oh, going for the extra credit."

Hank looked at Nick with a smile and Nick shot a responding lopsided smirk back as he leaned in to look over the wound again.

"Well, it's a puncture wound, but I can't tell you what made it." Dr. Harper shone her flashlight on the wound as she continued, "I've never seen a needle gauge this big."

"So, was she allergic to Apitoxin?"

"No," Dr. Harper replied, "But medical record never kept anyone from dying." Nick reeled back, his mind already working on a new theory for this as the doctor continued, "I found close to 50 milligrams of Apitoxin in her system. F.Y.I., a bee sting only carries about .1 milligrams."

"That would make it a bee the size of Lebron James," Hank said, shock coloring his face.

Dr. Harper chuckled, "More like the big three combined."

Nick decided to interject before they could get off-target, which Dr. Harper and Hank had done more than once in the time that Nick had been working with them. "Okay, sports fans. So, Serena Dunbrook gets on a Portland streetcar, people erupt into spontaneous dance-"

Hank cut in, following his line of thought, "And our opportunistic killer takes advantage of the chaos, injects her with bee venom. Weird, but possible."

Dr. Harper begins rooting through a drawer, "And definitely, _definitely_ a homicide."

Nick leans down to take a closer look at the wound again. Whoever had done this wasn't likely to stop anytime soon. Once a killer found their buzz, they didn't stop before they were done. They chased that high into their graves or prison. Nick was determined to see this killer locked up.

No one deserved to be buried unrecognizable.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

They headed back up and found the security tapes. Rewinding them was a tedious task, but sadly necessary if they were to find the killer. They found the woman in the black heels, Serena Dunbrook, and stopped the tape. "7:14 am. There's your victim." Sgt Wu pointed out.

"Got her," Nick replied. "Move past this."

"Alright," Wu swiped his hand across the image, successfully winding it forward again.

Hank glanced back and forth between the images and Nick's face. Nick wasn't just good at reading strangers on the streets with unnerving accuracy, he was also pretty good at reading people in a video or picture too. Most of the other detectives in the department wouldn't be able to tell much, mostly due to them never learning how to read a person out of real-time, but Nick knew how to read a person no matter what format he was reading them in. "Anything? Is anyone eyeing her wrong or reaching for anything?" Hank's questions where just as much a test as they where actual curiosity.

Nick's eyes followed her across the screen, watching the people in her immediate vicinity. He didn't see anything yet, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

Hank gestured at the screen, "Okay, now slow it back down."

Wu nodded as he complied. Nick said nothing, the entirety of his focus on the video footage in front of him. "Look at them, it's like their waiting for a cue," he observed.

Within seconds, the dancing started. "Now that's a flashmob," Sgt Wu put in.

The video shifted and it was only half a second, but Nick picked up on it immediately, "There. We lost her."

"Can you do anything, Wu?" Hank asked.

Wu shook his head, "No, that's it. The camera's stationery. She falls out of sight."

Hank gestured to the screen as he and Nick stood, "That flash mob was our witness pool."

Nick took his jacket from the back of the chair he sat in and looked at Wu, "Get this on the news. Anyone innocent should come right forward."

They began heading out, stopping as Captain Renard waved to catch their attention, "I want your full attention on the streetcar death, alright? We don't need the city scared to use public transportation." Hank and Nick both nodded, pausing just before the doors and waiting for their Captain to continue. "Now, Harrison Berman, the head of the victim's law firm, he's upset, he's angry, we're going to have to deal with this." Renard looked at Nick, "You're sure this wasn't a random killing?"

Why he looked at Nick was unclear, but if Nick had to guess it was probably in part due to his rookie status. Renard probably knew that Hank was sure, but those still learning may not be. "It doesn't look like it," Nick replied with a shake of his head.

Renard nodded, "Alright, well, anything you need, you let me know." He began to head back to his office. He hoped he wouldn't have to use his contacts, but he knew the woman who'd been killed. He'd made it a point to know those who may be of future use. It wouldn't do to have them dying left and right. The community's crime rates seemed to be up as of late, perhaps it had something to do with Nick.

Nick and Hank took the dismissal at left, hurrying to the victim's law firm to talk to the head of the company. They got there in time to meet the man. To say he was devastated would be an understatement. He seemed like he'd lost a dear friend. Perhaps, in the long run, he had. "Everybody just loved Serena. You couldn't meet that girl and not fall for her charms."

Mr. Berman sighed as he paced, letting the employee with him pick up where he'd left off. "Top of her class at law school. I was the year beneath her, she kinda took me under her wing."

Nick hated these questions, hated asking them while these people were still clearly grieving, "Was Serena working on anything that could've motivated this? A particular case, a problematic client? Anything?"

Mr. Berman shook his head, "Not that I remember. Not everyone likes lawyers."

"Well, we'll need to look through all of Serena's casework just to be certain."

Mr. Berman nodded, "Sure, full access. Whatever you need." He picked up a file off his desk. He sighed, then threw it down, putting his head in his hand. "I'll messenger everything over."

Hank picked up the questions from there. "Now, how about her personal life? Boyfriend, fiance?" Seeing Camilla's face, he added, "Girlfriend, maybe?"

Camilla shook her head, "I mean, she wasn't ready to settle down. She was..." Camille paused, sniffling, "She was really happy with who she was."

Nick wished he didn't have to do this. He hated this part of the job, having to look someone in the eye and ask questions about their loved one's life was awful. He was, however, thankful to be able to put the criminal in jail and give the families some peace. "I'm sorry," Nick offered, because what else could you say to someone going through this kind of hurt. He'd just been through this himself and he hadn't found a better alternative. He hoped that she understood it wasn't just her friend he was apologizing for. She nodded, smiling tightly up at him, and Nick knew that she had.

Mr. Berman interjected, "You just find the animal that did this." The look in his eyes was murderous, but Nick had experience dealing with these kinds of people both behind and in front of the badge.

"We'll do everything we can, sir," he assured the angry man. He looked back at Camille and inclined his head, "I'm sorry for your loss."

As they left, Hank's phone chimed and he pulled it from his pocket. "Harper's bee man just buzzed me."

Nick rolled his eyes fondly, glancing back at Hank with an amused and slightly incredulous smile.

Hank smiled back, "Yeah, I went there."

Nick was so happy that Hank understood his sense of humor.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

The farm was buzzing with activity (literally) when they arrived. Bees where everywhere, flying from one place to the next. Hank and Nick were sure to give them a wide berth as they checked out some of the equipment. "What makes a guy wanna work every day in such a dangerous environment?" Hank asked.

Nick leaned down to look at one of the empty boxes, studiously ignoring the bee that flew quickly and calmly over his head. "What; is robbery and homicide too tame for you?" God knew it was more than enough for him. Hank scoffed, then stared as the bee from before came down and landed on Nick's hand. Nick slowly lifted his hand in surprise, making no noise as the small creature crawled around. He hardly dared to breathe.

He was broken from his panicked thoughts as a voice from behind him said, "The queen." A man dressed in all white came over, cupping his hands around the insect, "She likes you, Detective." He smiled at them, gesturing lightly with his hands as he headed to one of the wooden beehives that were littered around the farm, "Don't be fooled. She's fiercely protective of her hive. It's unusual that she should show herself like this." The man opened the top of the hive and let the queen fly back inside.

God also knew that unusual things seemed to be the new normal for cases right now. The _Blutbad_ one that started this whole thing, the _Jagerbar_ one after that, the one with the informant that looked sort of like an alley cat early last week, and now this one seemed to be shaping up into one too. They'd established in the car while on the phone with Dr. Harper that no ordinary needle could've caused that puncture wound. Nick watched the bees in the wooden hive fly around their returned queen as he said, "So, Mr. Spinella-"

"Professor," the man interjected quickly.

" _Professor_ Spinella," Nick corrected himself, "Were you able to analyze the apitoxin that our coroner sent over?"

"Indeed I did, Detective." The professor smiled as he pulled off his gloves, glancing up at them, seeming nervous.

"And?" Hank prompted when the man didn't continue.

Professor Spinella adjusted his glasses, "Well, it's not synthetic."

"You mean someone harvested 50 milligrams of apitoxin from actual bees?" Nick asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

Professor Spinella nodded. "Apparently so," he agreed. "You see, natural apitoxin carries geographical traits. Um, signatures. By analysis of the chemical and ratios of the venom, one can determine the geo regional origins." the Professor explained.

"So where did the apitoxin that killed Serena Dunbrook come from?" Hank asked.

Professor Spinella thought, "Well, I'd classify it as, uh, exotic. Which would normally mean China, Africa, France... However, your apitoxin shows levels of Phospholipase too, that I've never seen before. This apitoxin has no known origin." The Professor's eyes slid to a point behind Nick and Hank, "Excuse me."

Hank looked at Nick as they headed back to the car, "Unknown origin? What is this, some sci-fi crap? That stuff couldn't just come out of nowhere."

Nick tilted his head the slightest amount, glancing at Hank with curiosity in his eyes. "Do you think he's hiding something?"

They were almost to the car when the Professor came rushing after them, "Detectives!" Hank and Nick turned to face the man who'd helped them out. "In case I'm on that list of yours," Nick suddenly understood why the man had seemed so nervous, "Harvesting Apitoxin in that amount would require much more sophisticated equipment than I have at my disposal. Besides, I was at the Howard Johnson in Eugene last night for this year's Oregon Beekeeper's con."

Nick looked him over quickly, wondering if he'd transform as was customary for _Wessen_ about this time in the case, as Hank asked, "A pretty crowded convention?"

Professor Spinella looked a bit sheepish then, "Well, there's twelve of us, actually. Anything else I can help you with?"

Nick shook his head, "No, Professor, we'll be in touch."

The man offered another smile, then turned and began back down the path, pulling on his hat as he went. Hank looked at Nick, "A streetcar full of dancers and 12 bee geeks in a motel room?"

Nick raised his eyebrows in question.

"You're suspect pool's getting bigger, huh?" Hank started up the trail again and Nick sighed as he followed.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

They met back with Sgt Wu at the precinct. The news he had was better than theirs, "TV coverage paid off." He led them into the room, letting them see first hand how many people were in the room and how many where talking over each other to the police and those around him. "Say hello to your flash mob," Sgt Wu ended as he slipped between two women with a polite, "Scuze me."

At Hank's curious look he explained, "Twenty-two so far. By the way, the Captian's been taking a keen interest in this one." He slipped past more of the people, Hank and Nick following him closely. "He's even asking _me_ what's going on."

Hank slipped into his seat at his desk, "Listen. Then, do us a favor. While we talk to the village people, can you check out that alibi of Professor Spinella last night? Sone convention at the Ho-Jo's in Eugene."

"And get us the name of every bee-keeper who was there?" Nick added in.

Wu sounded halfway drained as he nodded, "No problem. Good luck with your interrogations." He slapped Hank's shoulder as he left, leaving Hank and Nick to their work.

"We will," Hank replied, opening the file he'd been handed.

Nick watched Wu go, thinking he'd sounded a bit off. He shook it off as Hank pulled his attention to the case again by calling his name. As they began the interrogations, most of the flashmob had the same thing to say. No one knew anyone on the streetcar. Every last one of them was a stranger to the others around them. They were there because they'd been invited. A random tweet telling them a time and a place, telling them what to do. To get on at Yamhill and dance to YMCA, then immediately get off at Alder. No one saw the victim, there were a lot of people in the streetcar. They'd just been dancing, having fun, and " _How was I supposed to know someone was getting killed?_ "

Nick's interrogation of the man in the yellow jacket was interrupted by his phone going off again. "Can I go now?" the man asked.

Nick was just this side of annoyed because the guy's phone had been going off every five minutes and it was a little grating. "Actually, no, Doug. I'd like to go over it again if you don't mind."

Doug looked frustrated, "From the beginning?"

"Well, yeah, unless you know what happens at the end?" Nick understood the frustration Doug felt, he'd felt something similar when he was questioned about a case he'd witnessed a while back, but he had to ask every question, he had to go over every part with a fine-toothed comb and pull apart every detail.

Doug sighed as he set his phone down and spoke again, "Well, as I said, I got the same invitation as everybody else did. I figured I'd go have some fun with some strangers."

"It just sounds like there's an echo in here," Nick said, "Cause I keep hearing the same thing over and over again." Nick sighed, "Okay. Can I see the tweet? A tech-savvy guy like yourself, I'm sure you still have it on your phone, right?"

There. Doug was nervous. "Um, I got some personal stuff on there."

Nick sighed again, "Alright. We'll let's talk about the victim. So Serena Dunbrook got on the streetcar around the same time as you, right? She's a pretty girl. She stood right behind you. You know, did you smell her perfume? Did it turn you on to be rubbed up against her?" Because Nick may be able to restrain himself, but the same couldn't be said about other men.

Doug shook his head, "No."

"Hey, come on, Doug. We have you on videotape."

"I was on the other side."

Nick jumped on the hole in the story. "Really? Because in your previous statements you said you didn't see her at all." Nick folded his hands together and leaned forward, "So which one is it?"

Doug looked away, embarrassed, outed and he knew it.

"Come on. Let me see the phone, Doug. Unless you're hiding something," Nick stated calmly, steely eyes flashing dangerously in a way that promised consequences if Doug refused a second time.

Nick reached forward, pausing when Doug's hand closed around the small device and pulled it back. Nick watched, startled, as Doug's arm suddenly shifted. Doug's skin crawled and swelled until it was bigger, red, and gaining growths that looked like spikes. _Or stingers_ , Nick's brain helpfully supplied. He looked up at Doug, knowing well that the other man knew exactly what he was doing. He was never quite sure how, but _Wessen_ always knew who Nick was. Doug looked positively murderous, but that wasn't what scared Nick. Nick had been subjected to many of the same looks, it came with being a cop. No, what scared Nick was the fact that he knew exactly the kind of damage these kinds of creatures could do.

A knock at the glass startled Nick out of the staredown with Doug and he glanced over to met Hank's eyes, silently rejoicing when Hank flicked his head in a signal for Nick to join him on the other side of the glass. Sparing a fleeting glance at Doug, who was now looking appropriately nervous again, Nick stood and left the room. He'd hardly closed the door when Hank said, "AG Waiver turned up a dummy account opened with a spam email. All it takes is half a brain and a laptop to manipulate an IP address."

Nick was still listening to Hank when his attention was caught by the sight of Doug in the glass. He'd shifted, face growling bulbous eyes and mandibles. Nick's eyes grew larger in shock, he turned to see another man who's face shifted to match. He gasped, fear pushing its way back up, flashes of Hulda and the woman at the hospital flipping into existence before his eyes then leaving just as quickly. Nick wished he'd never gotten this power, he hated the pure fear that pressed on his chest in moments like this.

"The benefit of social media - anyone can arrange cover for a murder. You get anything off this Doug Shellow guy?" Hank asked.

Nick looked back at Doug, watching his face shift again as the _Wessen_ traits retreated and the human came back. Doug looked properly afraid and Nick felt the breath catch in his throat. "Yeah," he murmured to Hank, "I think I just did."

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

They let Doug go without much more of a fuss and Nick glanced at Hank, "We aren't just letting him go are we?"

Hank shook his head, "Nope. Captain's given us the go-ahead on tracking him. Come on."

They trailed him to the Primrose Paper Mill, which had been build long before either of them where born and abandoned not that long ago. "Abandoned paper mill? This doesn't look like 'home'," Hank observed. Nick couldn't have agreed more, sitting very still as they watched Doug head to the stairs. He slipped out of the car silently when Hank nodded. He hated sometimes that he was still a rookie detective, but he'd deal with it as long as he had to. As long as he could do his job, he'd happily endure the rookie treatment.

They quietly crossed the yard, careful where they put their feet as they watched Doug enter the building. The moment he crossed the threshold, Hank was giving the signal to follow and Nick was quick to race over as silently as he could. "You know anything about Primrose paper?" he asked softly, hardly able to hear his voice.

Hank shook his head, "I've heard of it, that's all. An old family business that's been here forever." His voice was just as soft. "Do you think Doug Shellow and John Coleman know each other?" He asked quietly.

Nick couldn't tell Hank about them being _Wessen_ , God only knew if Hank would believe him or if he'd get him admitted to a mental hospital where he wouldn't be able to see anyone, so he chose instead to reply, "Let's hope that letting them go pays off."

Hank nodded, opening the door and letting Nick slip through first, then following and letting the door slide closed with a hand in the middle to prevent any loud noises. They headed further inside and Nick brushed a few cobwebs aside as they passed, looking around to see if they could spot anything. Nick heard the soft buzzing before he saw them. Nick wondered briefly if Hank could hear the buzzing too, but decided not to mention it. It was probably just a nest of bees, as long as they didn't bother it, then it shouldn't be an issue. The pair were too far away for Nick and Hank to make out anything, but this alone was enough to send the detective instincts in Nick aflame.

"Hello, conspiracy," Hank said as they stopped to watch the pair.

"So much for everybody claiming to be strangers," Nick took a few small steps forward, slowly moving towards them in hopes of learning what they were saying.

Hank followed Nick, slowly coming forward as well. They stopped when they saw another figure join Shellow and Coleman. The figure was smaller and looked female, but it was harder to tell from the back. "Who is that?" Hank asked.

Nick shook his head, slowly raising himself higher, "I can't get a good look at her."

Just then, a small back and yellow bee landed on a metal piece not far away from them. Suddenly, Nick and Hank were swarmed by dozens of bees. "Run!" Nick shouted, taking off around the bend. He didn't look back, knowing Hank was right behind him. They went racing through the mill, praying they got away. The bees where angry and no one won when bees attacked. Nick's eyes darted around, hoping to find somewhere to hide. He finally spotted an office they could use. He glanced back, "Get in this office!"

They struggled with the door, finding a startled bird when they managed to pry it open. Nick glanced at the approaching horde in alarm, snagging Hank's sleeve and shoving him inside before he threw himself in after and slammed the door shut just as the bees got there. He heard the glass break, the cracks spider webbing the expanse of the frame, and swallowed back a startled whimper.

"What the Hell's going on? Where'd those bees come from?" Hank growled as the glass cracked a little more.

Nick hoped the glass would hold. "I don't know," he replied. He glanced down and saw some rags. He picked them up, holding one out to Hank, "Here, use some of these. Here!"

They pushed the rags through the cracks in the doors, effectively stopping the bees from coming through that way. Hank shrieked, "I've never seen so many damn bees in my life."

The bees suddenly seemed to receive a silent signal and flew away without another word. Nick sighed in relief, watching as they left. He didn't think he'd ever been more afraid. Then a thought hit him. "Wait," he said softly, "Where'd they go?" He looked at Hank.

"Maybe they're hiding, waiting for us," Hank suggested.

Nick, who'd studied animal traits with Juliette in college to help her study **(1)** , considered it, but shook his head, "No, I don't think bees hide." Slowly, he opened the door and stepped out.

Hank followed, looking around for the bees in case they were hiding. He winced, feeling the pain of the stings he'd received now that the adrenaline had faded. "Man, I got at least a couple dozen bee stings." As they made their way back through the mill, Hank continued speaking, "This is crazy. Someone gets killed with bee venom and we get attacked by a swarm?"

Nick agreed, "Yeah, I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Maybe Wu was right about a giant killer bee," Hank said as they came upon the footprints of the others who'd been there.

Nick hoped they'd made it out alright. There were a lot of bees and no matter what they may have done, no one deserved to die. "Come on," he said aloud to Hank, "Let's get you some help. Juliette knows how to treat bee stings, I'll take you."

Hank nodded in agreement, letting Nick guide him back to the car. He fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them over when asked. Nick hadn't gotten stung as much and Hank was feeling kind of sleepy not that the adrenaline rush was gone, which he knew wasn't good when driving. He'd let Nick drive this once, but God knew the next time, he wasn't going to.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

"Ow!" Hank exclaimed as Juliette gently applied the salve again.

Juliette laughed, "You're a bigger baby than Nick is."

Nick laughed as he came back with the requested beers and water. "Two beers, one water." He handed the water to Hank and sat on the arm of the chair **(2)** , leaning away from the swat Adalind directed at his shoulder for his choice in seating. He threw her a smile and she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Bees usually sting when threatened or provoked, you kick a hive or something?" Juliette asked, smiling at her best friend and girlfriend's antics.

"No, they just came out of nowhere and headed straight for yours truly," Hank replied glancing at Nick. Nick had already been through the process, pained cries and all, his arms still shiny with the salve Juliette had applied. He'd gotten stung less, but Hank had done his job watching his back so the older male called it a win.

"Aw, maybe you're their flower," Juliette teased with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Hank asked incredulously, feeling the twinge of frustration at the idea of being a bee's 'flower'. He'd rather not if this was the result, thank you _very_ much.

Nick hid his smile behind a drink of the beer as Juliette explained, "Bees are highly effective communicators. A scout will fly around until they find the perfect flower, then it goes back to the hive and signals the others to find it."

"You learned all that in vet school?" Hank asked, disbelieving.

Juliette shook her head, flicking her bangs out of her eyes as she put the cap back on the "Nope, Animal Planet."

"Did they say anything about training bees to attack people?" Hank asked curiously, his hand coming free of Juliette's grip as he waved it around, then rubbed at one of the marks with a groan.

" _That_ sounds more like a bad movie," Juliette replied.

Adalind laughed from behind her laptop, working on another case no doubt. Nick sometimes wanted to compare notes with her, but he didn't want to do anything that could get her in trouble, so he only ever asked after legal matters about his cases and only answered questions about police proceedings when she had them.

Nick looked back at Hank with a smile, "Well, Shellow and Coleman are still our best leads. I just put out an APB."

Hank glanced at Juliette and Adalind, both of whom were smart enough to know when to keep their mouths shut, then asked, "And what about our mystery woman?"

Nick slipped down to sit on the actual couch as Juliette moved to put her kit away. "Well, two guys were reporting to her, so there's got to be a connection between the three of them, the mill, and Serena Dunbrook."

"Let's take a look at the case files Burman sent us," Hank suggested.

"Wait a minute, did you say Serena Dunbrook?" Adalind asked suddenly, looking up at Nick with shock and fire in her eyes.

Nick gazed back, nodding slowly, "Yes, she's the victim in the case I'm working on."

Adalind's eyes filled with tears, she covered her mouth with a hand. "Serena's dead?" she asked quietly. "Oh, no."

Nick suddenly realized what was going on. Adalind worked with the same law firm their victim did, had probably gotten to know Serena the same way the woman earlier had. He stood off the couch and wrapped Adalind into a hug, "I am _so_ sorry." He hugged her tightly, refusing to let go as long as she still needed something to hold her together. He only let go once Juliette had rushed back in and pulled the other woman into a tight hug, letting Adalind put her face in the redhead's neck. She glanced at Nick and nodded.

Nick nodded back, "I'll call tomorrow, let you know how the case is going and check up on her. Expect updates as often as I can get them to you." Nick knew that would be very often. He leaned over and pressed a fleeting kiss to Adalind's hair, hoping it would bring even a little bit of comfort, "I'm so sorry, Adalind. I promise you I'll catch the person who did this."

Adalind nodded, "Thank you, Nick."

Nick and Hank gathered the things they'd brought with them then left the house and headed back to the precinct. Nick sighed as they got back to their desks, "I hate this very much."

Hank offered a sympathetic smile. Both of them hated when their friends were affected by this job, Hank's friend had lost his girlfriend not even three weeks ago and Hank had taken the case, so Hank understood the feeling. "The only thing we can do right now is our best to catch this guy. Let's go over those files, maybe we'll find something there."

They started in on the case files, Hank nodding off about halfway through the first one. Nick let him sleep, he was the faster reader anyway and he could organize things in his head more neatly if Hank wasn't shuffling through other papers. Nick liked his partner, really, but it was like he _tried_ to distract Nick sometimes. Besides, Juliette had said to rest in the text she sent to them both. Nearly a third of the way through his fourth "possible killer" case file, he noticed the time and swore under his breath. He was late.

Nick quickly woke Hank, "Hank, wake up. You need to go home."

Hank shot up in his seat and Nick had to hide his laughter as the older male swore loudly and colorfully. "Damn it, Nick, why didn't you wake me up?" Hank asked, rubbing his numbed hand.

Nick offered a smile, "Doctor's orders. It's better to rest after a bee attack. You go home, get some sleep. I've got this. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow."

Hank nodded and handed Nick the case file he'd fallen asleep over. Nick glanced over it, then put it in with the files he hadn't read yet and packed up the box to take home with him. Hank headed out to his car as Nick pulled on his jacket and started home. On the way, he called his partners.

" _Monroe_ ," answered the person on the other end.

Nick's lips lifted into an automatic grin at the sound of his lover's voice, "Hey. I'm going to be a little late. Lost track of time. I'm bringing home some files with me, I have to look over them."

" _I know, I know,_ " interrupted the voice with a teasing tone, " _You're sorry but you have to work. I'll have dinner ready when you get here. Rose is working late, she had to close up tonight, Freddy got sick again._ "

"He's been sick a lot more recently, are we sure he's okay?" Nick asked curiously.

" _Oh, yeah, he'll be fine. Fucsbau can recover quickly, this is probably just something that hit him a little harder than normal. He's not yet gotten over the last time he got sick, so he's probably still feeling the after-effects. He'll be fine._ " Something clatter and Nick chuckled softly, then Monroe continued, " _Anyway, she's going to be a bit late too. We'll eat when she gets here, okay?_ "

Nick hummed, "Alright. I'm going to set up in the living room. Work until Rose gets home."

" _Got it. See you soon. Love you!_ "

Nick's smile grew wider, "Love you too." He hung up and sighed. God, he loved his partners.

After dinner, Nick ended up in the trailer, searching for information on the kind of _Wessen_ he'd seen in the precinct. He'd promised not to stay out too late, knowing that he hadn't slept well in the past week. With his Aunt's death, he'd been up late into the night. Monroe and Rosalee had offered to go with him, but Nick didn't want to involve them if he didn't have to. Registering them in the CI database was not something he'd be looking forward to, but he'd have to with as much as he was relying on their help right now.

He found the creatures. They were very interesting looking, though a bit of a struggle at first. He found the device probably used to murder Serena and hummed to himself, "Freaky looking thing." He turned a page and startled, seeing the shifted face of the woman who'd tried to kill his Aunt. He read on, "A Hexenbeists mark can be found under the tongue in the human form and morphed form." Nick tilted his head, wondering. He turned another page, then saw the honey bee queen and picked up the phone.

" _Hello?_ " asked the sleepy voice.

"Hey, it's me. About that girl who was murdered on the tram?" He seriously needed to get on registering his partners. He'd get in so much trouble for this.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Monroe drove them to the paper mill, ready to head out as soon as Nick got back home, and they quickly made their way through. Passing through a pipe, Nick flashed his light from side to side, the startled as something pressed against his back. He flashed his light behind him and jumped when he saw Monroe. "Woah, easy there, Five-Oh," Monroe teased from behind his arm. His eyes flashed as normal dogs would and Nick was strangely put at ease. Nick gasped for breath, letting his heart rate calm down.

"Out of curiosity, why not call Hank?" Monroe asked.

"Because if I told him my two main suspects turned into bees he'd completely understand," Nick replied factually, smiling at Monroe.

Monroe chuckled, "Lucky me."

Nick nodded, the moved the flashlight onto another place.

"So," Monroe started softly, shoving his hands in his pockets, " _Mellifers_ , huh?"

"Yeah, they had something to do with the case I'm working. With the streetcar?"

"Right, I remember you talking about it. Murder's not their shtick though."

"Well, bees bite, don't they?" Nick reminded his lover gently.

"Right, but only when they're threatened," Monroe replied.

Nick nodded, "I read in the book that they also have something to do with balancing the Ecotone? What does that mean?"

Monroe had to stop himself from flat out laughing, wary of alerting anyone to their presence even if no one was here. "That's just some fancy-pants, mumbo-jumbo for saying they're like gossips, you know? A creature community switchboard."

Nick stopped dead in his tracks, looking at Monroe with a dawning sense of understanding, "Or a social media."

Monroe nodded, "Right. And if a _Mellifer_ sends out a message it means something sketchy's going on somewhere."

"Well, Hank and I were attacked by a swarm of bees earlier, if that's sketchy enough for you," Nick offered.

Monroe looked alarmed for half a second, then relaxed as he remembered that Nick had smelled like human medicine when he'd come home for dinner. They came across the footprints and Nick stopped, kneeling on the floor for a better look at the footprints. Monroe followed him, listening intently as Nick spoke, "We were following these two guys who turned out to be _Mellifers_ and they met a woman."

When Nick didn't say anything else, Monroe prompted, "Okay, I think I need to remind you that I don't know everything about every creature out there, Nicky."

Nick shook his head, "No, I don't need you for what you know, Monroe, I need your nose."

"Oh, I get it," Monroe said. Then a wicked smile spread on his face, "Little Timmy's stuck in a well and you need Lassie to come and find him? Boy, you sure know how to butter a guy up for a favor."

Nick shared his smile, then offered, "I've got a bottle of '78 Bordeaux in my trunk. I was saving it for your birthday, but I can bring it in tonight."

Monroe had to bite back the laughter as he nodded, "I can maybe catch a scent."

Nick nodded back, "Okay. You said _Mellifers_ deliver messages. What kind of message is it when they murder an innocent woman?"

"Maybe she wasn't so innocent," Monroe murmured back, breathing deep to catch the scent. He found it, then stood, nose to the air as he followed it up the stairs and around a few corners. He paused, breathing deeply again to find the scent, " _Mellifers_ only have one natural enemy."

" _Hexenbeists_ ," Nick supplied, flashing his light around the room.

Monroe glanced at Nick with a proud smile curling the corners of his lips, "Well, look at you hitting the books." He nodded towards the back of the building and headed off again, Nick following close behind. He stopped again at the tops of the stairs, "Oh yeah, I'm getting a female scent here. Undeniable"

Nick glanced at Monroe, "Are you that sure?"

Monroe shook his head, "No, her perfume, Nick. It's called 'Undeniable'." He moved up the stairs again.

Nick rushed to follow after him, "Hey, wait up!"

Monroe paused, pinning Nick with a serious stare, "Don't you dare say 'heel'." He was creeped out in this place, he wouldn't be able to handle any of Nick's usual dog jokes. They wouldn't be endearing to him tonight.

Nick nodded, conceding to Monroe's request. They continued into a room Nick hadn't seen them go into. He tilted his head, "They didn't come in here, we saw them leave the mill."

He was more talking out loud than protesting, so Monroe didn't comment. Nick usually talked himself through problems at home, be it making dinner (sometimes badly), untangling wrapped chords, or looking over his case files and paperwork. "I'm getting a big-time whiff of her in here," he told the younger male. "Maybe she left something behind."

Nick went immediately to the file cabinet and began rifling through it to see what he could find while Monroe went to the desk chair and sniffed at it curiously. "Yeah, the scent's real strong," he sat in the chair and sniffed at the keyboard. A thought occurred to him, "She could come back at some point."

Nick pulled out several papers and began looking them over, attention mostly focussed on the possible evidence in his hands.

Monroe leaned back, "Maybe we could crack that Bordeaux while we wait."

Nick looked up at Monroe with a fond smile, "Her name's Melissa Wincroft."

The _Blutbad_ tilted his head, "Woah. Did you just, like, Grimm that in some kind of telepathic way?"

Nick had to bite back his laughter, but he couldn't keep the echoes of it off his face, especially out of his eyes. It amazed him how Monroe could find his strange new abilities so fascinating when Nick himself couldn't stand them. "No, I read it off an envelope. Melissa Wincroft, owner and CEO. This must've been her office," Nick turned, snagged the said paper, and held it up for Monroe to see as he looked around. With a smirk, he handed the envelope over and added, "I think I need to remind you that I _am_ a Detective, Monroe."

Monroe snorted as he took the envelope. "That's cheating," he teased, "Besides I sniffed her out." He was in a much better mood being here with his lover. He looked over the envelope and sighed softly.

Nick's eyes never left the page, "Good boy."

Monroe looked up, meeting Nick's eyes, and saw the barely-there smirk. He huffed, "God, I'm going to make you eat those words."

Nick's smile widened, "Sure you will, babe."

They headed off to Melissa's house not long after that, letting Monroe's nose guide them the right way. Monroe sniffed the air, "Yeah, this is her place."

Nick took point, being the actual police officer, and lead the way up to the big oak doors. He peaked in the windows as Monroe sniffed the air again, trying to determine if she was here. It was unlikely she didn't have a car; it was Portland, they weren't that big, but just in case she was home Monroe wanted to be prepared.

Nick headed out around the side, noticing an open door and calling Monroe over. He wouldn't admit it now, but he'd always felt safer when Monroe was at his back. He was happy Monroe was here. Nick flashed the light around inside the building as he made his way inside. Monroe followed closely behind. "This is _so_ the part of the horror movie where the sidekick gets it," he whispered.

"Just stay close," Nick whispered back, "I'll protect you."

There were tons of statues around, small black-and-yellow bees dotting each one. Dead bees littered the floor, crunching under Nick's boot when he stepped further inside the kitchen. The Grimm lifted his foot and moved his light to the floor.

"What is it?" Monroe asked softly.

Nick held out a hand, "Shh." The bees crunched again as they continued into the house. They traversed into the main hall, pools of blood spilled on the floor, patterned to a murder. Nick felt his instincts screaming at him that this was off. The sound of something dripping caught his attention and Nick stepped neatly around the blood pools to investigate the sounds.

"Tell me we are not going upstairs!" Monroe whisper-yelled as Nick started up the steps. He hesitated, but still followed his beloved boyfriend up the wooden steps. "Oh, we're going upstairs," he moaned. Nick ignored him and followed the sound of the water further into the house, pulling his gun incase it got dicey. Monroe followed him, unwilling to be left behind or let the younger male fend for himself.

A shadow made Nick pause, but there was no other movement or noise, so he continued up the bloodied steps. He eased open the closed door at the top of the steps, ignoring the creak as it swung open ever so slowly. His nerves were dialed to eleven, only a hair's breadth away from sending a bullet into the next thing that startled him. His instincts told him that danger had been there, something bad had happened in the room beyond this door. Nick was inclined to listen to them, they rarely steered him wrong.

In the room, there were dozens upon dozens of what looked like honeycombs. They were dripping wet; water and God-only-knew what else sliding down the paths carved by time and the smell was terrible. Awe-struck and sort of horrified, Nick pulled out his phone, ushering Monroe back down the stairs. He called in backup quickly as he could, thanking his lover and telling him to go home.

Tomorrow morning he was registering Monroe and Rosalee as official CIs, he was _not_ going to be able to do this without them.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Nick had Monroe go home, asking him to have Rosalee bring a change of clothes by the precinct on her way to work. He waited until his call for backup had been answered and he was told it was okay to go, then he was heading off to the precinct. He managed to get a few hours of sleep in one of the unused offices, setting his alarm to wake him up before he technically had to clock in, then changed clothes and headed back up to the house, leaving Hank a message explaining what he'd found and asking him to meet him there.

Hank whistled as he came in, "Damn."

Nick turned on his heel to face him; walking a few steps closer to his partner, "I know, right? Forensics says this stuff is a preliminary match to the apitoxin in Serena's system. That clears our beekeepers."

Hank stepped over to the vanity sitting roughly fifteen to twenty feet from the door, shock evident in every line of his face. "Which makes Melissa Wincroft our primary, if we could _find_ her. She didn't seek this place or buy a new one, it's like she just picked up and disappeared. Now can you tell me how in the Hell you found this woman and her hive?"

Nick had been distracted by one of the CSU guys dropping a chair and another helping the first set it back upright. He startled a bit when Hank asked that question, but then he replied, "Well, it's all in the legal files. I read 'em last night. Everything's connected- Shellow, Coleman, the mill, even Serena. Monroe also helped, he has a few ties to a previous lifestyle that helped me find this place."

Hank glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "You know-" he started.

Nick cut him off, "I registered him and Rosalee this morning. It's covered, I promise."

Hank had lost one partner to improper procedures before, he didn't want to lose another. Hearing this, he nodded and went back to looking over one of the high station, "Well, you could've called me."

Nick smiled, "Doctor told you to rest."

Hank clicked off his flashlight, "Yeah, fine. So, connect the dots." Hank turned back to Nick and looked at him expectantly.

Nick nodded, "Well, a messy class-action lawsuit about a year ago. Serena represented Amera-Mill in a hostile take over for Primrose Paper. Uh, the employees tried to fight it-they lost."

Hank broke in, "Let me guess, two of those employees were Doug Shellow and John Coleman?"

Nick nodded again, "Exactly, Melissa Wincroft was their boss. Her family owned and operated this mill for over a century. She had the most to lose."

"So, she's taking revenge on Serena for getting her company shut down," Hank finished off.

"Detectives!" called one of the officers, Landors by the accent, but this was also one of the new ones that had transferred from New York, so Nick couldn't be sure. Hank and Nick both greeted him with nods, "Sergent Wu just called from Chapman Square. There's been another flash-mob murder." His voice was flat, but Nick wasn't surprised. After working with officers and law enforcement for so long, there isn't much that can surprise or shock you any longer **.**

Nick and Hank glanced at each other, then followed the officer out the door. They arrived at the site and Sgt Wu found them immediately. "Another tweet, another flash-mob; this time death by Hokey Pokey. Witnesses say the victim was doing her morning yoga routine when it started. Eye in the sky caught it all."

"Where Shellow or Coleman in the group?" Nick asked, ducking the tape and holding it up for the others.

Wu shook his head, "Nope, a whole new set of flash mobbers this time. Unis grabbed Shellow and Coleman about an hour ago, they're at the precinct. Both are staying silent until they lawyer up."

Captain Renard was crouching near the body, looking it over. He glanced up when he heard them coming. The body itself was just the same as Serena's; puffy and swelled past all recognition, eyes bulging out of its head and staring off into the distance. Nick felt his stomach squeeze uncomfortably **(3)** and swallowed several times as he approached. Captain Renard looked down at the body, then back up at them, "Tell me you've got a solid lead on this."

"We're zeroing in on a suspect- Melissa Wincroft," Hank replied.

Nick however had noticed something else. "That's Camilla Gotlieb. She was on the Primrose Paper case with Serena."

Captain Renard stood, hands on his hips and voice agitated, "Two dead lawyers from the same firm? I'd say we've got ourselves a pattern."

Nick's mind suddenly supplied him with another bit of information. "There was a third lawyer on the case. I read in the files." He pulled his phone from his pocket, flipping it open as he turned and began heading back to the car. Hank followed, easily keeping up with his shorter partner. He dialed a number, worry pulsing through every nerve in his system. He prayed to God they caught it in time. "This is Detective Burkhardt. I need you to send a unit to Berman, Rautbort, and associates and take an attorney into protective custody. Her name's Adalind Schade." As he slid into the seat, he felt Hank pin him with a look. He nodded, "I'm sure of it, Hank."

"Can you work this case with a clear head, Nick?" Hank asked, knowing Nick was the kind of person to take things a tad personally. His head would get foggy and he wouldn't be any good to anyone like that.

Nick nodded, "I'm good."

Hank nodded and flipped the sirens, hurrying off down the street and hoping they made it in time. They already had two deaths, they didn't want to make it a third.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Captain Renard knew very well who Adalind Schade was to Nick, Nick hadn't made it a secret and Renard made it a point to know who the people important to his officers and Detectives where. Renard had well acquainted himself with the people important to those in the precinct, as well as the emergency numbers to call when one of them was in the hospital. He knew well who Adalind was, but for the sake of pretenses, as he walked into his office, he pretended that he didn't, "Miss Schade."

She stood and turned, facing the Captain, Nick, and Hank. Nick saw a brief flash of the woman who'd looked so much like his friend, but he dismissed it, pushing it away to the farthest recesses of his mind. Adalind had been home all night with Juliette, she hadn't harmed Marie.

The Captain continued, "I'm Captain Renard, these are Detectives Griffin and Burkhardt."

Adalind smiled, "Nick, Detective Griffin. Thank you."

Renard nodded, "Seems you already know Detective Burkhardt. Well, you can thank him. He's the one who figured it all out."

Nick shook his head, "Actually, I'm still trying to piece it all together. Besides, Hank helped too."

"We need to ask you a few questions if you're up for it," Hank continued. "Can I offer you a cup of coffee?"

Adalind nodded, "Thanks." She followed Hank to the interrogation room, Nick following closely behind. Then a thought hit him. He remembered the shift that had taken Adalind the day this all started.

Nick paused, "Hank, I'm going to check on something, can you handle this for a minute?"

Hank nodded to the younger male. Nick turned to go, but when he glanced over Adalind looked terrified at the idea that Nick wouldn't be there. However, this was something Nick had to do, so he shot her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Adalind. It's routine, Hank can handle it. I promise you, you're safe here."

She nodded, "Okay."

Once Adalind had been reassured, Nick took off down to the M.E.'s office, hurriedly putting on a pair of gloves as he did. He pushed open the doors, "I need to see their tongues, please, Doctor." He was a bit impatient, but God only knew what Harper had to do, so he waited for her to point him in the right direction.

She shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat. The bodies were so swollen I had to cut them out just to get a look inside." She opened the fridge she used for the organs and pulled out the requested muscles. "There they are," she said, putting them down on the table between the cadavers.

Nick came closer, watching the Doctor pull out the tongues with her long metal grips, "Was there anything strange on either of them?" Then he saw what he was looking for, the mark stated in his Aunt's books. These two women where _Hexenbeists_. "What made that mark?"

"I thought that was weird too," Dr. Harper replied quietly, she handed the metal tongs off to Nick and got out the other tongue. She held it near to the other and showed him the matching mark, "They aren't tattoos. These marks have nothing to do with their deaths." Dr. Harper began putting the tongues back. She sighed, "Who would do these hideous things to these girls?"

Nick shook his head. He couldn't answer why, because he'd read his Aunt's books. He now knew this was a grudge between two feuding species. He just hoped they found the killer before the killer tried again. He thanked the Doctor and headed back up the stairs, shedding his gloves and trashing them. He went to the interrogation rooms, where Hank and Adalind where watching Melissa Wincroft's testimony. Hank gave him a questioning look as he walked in, but Nick shook his head.

He'd tell Hank later that his lead didn't pan out, because what else could he tell Hank? _Yeah, that lead I was chasing? I think the two murdered women where_ Hexenbeists _, that they were killed by these bee creatures called_ Mellifers _and that Adalind is definitely next because, hey, she's a_ Hexenbeist _too._ Yeah, he'd get thrown into a metal home for sure.

"We just don't want you to be next," Hank was saying to Adalind. "Now, Miss Schade-"

"Please," Adalind interrupted him, "Call me Adalind. All my friends do."

Hank nodded and Nick spoke up, "Adalind, this feels more personal. Like it was more than a business transaction. An eye for an eye, sort of thing."

Adalind sighed, "Some people don't get the full picture. I was just doing my job."

"I have to do mine as well," Nick replied evenly. He didn't want to do this, but he had a feeling Adalind would take it better from him. "Is there anything you or the company may be trying to hide?" He sincerely hoped not.

Adalind thought the question over, then shook her head, "We don't have anything more than you to hide, Nick. I wish I could tell you more about Melissa Wincroft, but I really didn't know her. As I said, it wasn't personal."

Nick understood, Adalind saw it as just her earning her paycheck. To Melissa, her whole life was being torn down right before her eyes. Someone had tried to take away something extraordinarily important to him and Nick had reacted the same way. He rewound the case in his head, running through it quickly as he and Hank finished up the rest of the questions they were supposed to ask. They headed back out, making calls and requesting favors as they needed them to get what they needed quickly.

Nick was looking over a set of numbers when Hank got the bank statements. "No credit card activity, no travel, no sign of Melissa Wincroft anywhere in the system."

Nick struggled a bit to keep up with Hank's pace, as Hank moved like a tank when he was determined enough, but managed to fall into step with him. "She's got no known family."

"Freinds?" Hank questioned.

"Well, we know about John Coleman and Doug Shellow, but I doubt she's going to be calling them," another idea came to Nick.

Hank looked at him, then sighed, "That look usually gets us into trouble."

Nick chuckled a bit, then stated, "She might not be getting in touch with them. What if they got in touch with her?"

Hank shook his head, "Wu said Shellow's not cooperating until he sees a lawyer."

"We don't need him to cooperate. We just need him to do what he does best- Send a message," Nick replied with a smile. "He doesn't know we're protecting Adalind."

"And neither does Melissa Wincroft," Hank's eyes lit up, a smirk curling the corners of his lips. "This we can work with."

"Even with it getting us into trouble?" Nick asked innocently, tilting his head just so to the right.

Hank just laughed, "Save that look for someone who believes you, Nick."

Nick straightened himself and grinned. He then turned and headed to the interrogation rooms, stopping only long enough to grab what he needed from the evidence lockers, Detective mask slipped right into place. He opened the door with a tad bit of dramatic flair, "Hey, Doug." He closed the door, standing to the side of his suspect, "How are you doing? You hungry?"

He leaned his weight on the table, bringing himself closer to the man and Doug pulled himself away. Nick's mischievous side took great pleasure in the trick he was about to pull, but his voice was dark when he said, "You and I have some unfinished business." Nick pulled away, opening the evidence bag he'd grabbed and taking out the phone. "So why don't we pick up where we left off," Nick held out the phone and let it fall to the table, "You were about to show me some tweets."

Nick was surprised at how dark he could be. Maybe he'd use this in another place one day. He pushed the thought away and leaned his forearms against the table, letting Doug take the bait.

Sure enough, Doug leaned forward with a smile, "Tweet this. I don't have to do anything until my lawyer gets here."

Nick smirked, "Oh, Doug. We have you at the scene of the crime. We tailed you to a meeting with our prime suspect. You will do seven to ten on conspiracy alone, no matter how good your lawyer is. So why do you want to keep protecting Melissa Wincroft?"

Predictably, Doug said nothing.

Nick kept going, "There's going to be another victim isn't there? Tell me... Who is it?" Doug, come on, do _yourself_ a favor. Who is Melissa Wincroft's next target?"

Hank came rushing in as planned, throwing the door open, "Nick, the Captain needs to see you over something."

"Hank, I'm in the middle of something," Nick replied without looking up.

"Now," Hank snapped back.

The perfect picture of a rookie cop getting rank pulled on him, Nick sighed. "This isn't over," he murmured to Doug Shellow.

Doug looked very relieved, which was par for the course when being interrogated by someone who's job was to get a confession out of you.

Nick stood and left the room, hurrying behind Hank to the room behind the one-way glass. "Oscar-worthy performance, De Niro," Sgt Wu complimented

"Middle school drama club," Nick replied easily. He'd gotten into it as a way to ease the pain of his parent's passing, but the skills he learned where pretty useful later on too.

"This had better work," Renard interjected, arms folding across his chest as Nick settled in nearest to the glass.

Nick sat on the ledge built into the wall, watching patiently as Doug sat in the room alone. "It will. It's in his nature."

Hank was not a patient man, so Nick was unsurprised when he spoke up, requesting Doug to take the bait. They waited another few minutes before Doug reached over and hit the phone's buttons. "There it is, Wu," Hank said.

Wu was immediately typing, fingers flying over the keys to intercept the text he was sending before it could go too far. "On in," the man replied.

"How quick does this stuff work?" Renard questioned.

"There. He just sent a direct message to a blocked user," Wu replied almost before Renard had finished speaking.

"Well, can you-?" Nick started.

"Of course I can, I'm Asian," Wu interrupted him.

Hank laughed a bit, letting the tension in his shoulder go just a bit.

The sergeant leaned back a little, "Okay, here's the message. 'They don't know. AS open.' As open?"

"AS," Nick spoke up, "A.S. Adalind Schade." He looked at Renard, "He just told Melissa Wincroft to make the move."

They looked back at the glass. Their abilities to work here were limited. Time was running out.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

They're next play was to go for a sting operation. They dressed one of the female officers as Adalind, hoping that it would be passible enough to fool the suspects into action. Sgt Wu went with the look-a-like to some huge high-rent apartment that Adalind kept for late nights and fights with Juliette while Hank and Nick stayed with the real Adalind to protect her. Nick heard every word on his phone, very easily keeping up with the conversation.

" _Bird's in the nest,_ " Wu reported to Nick after a while.

"Nick work," Nick replied, "Now, let's hope Melissa Wincroft takes the bait." He hung it up there to keep the lines open, knowing he could still keep up with everything on the radio not far from where he, Hank, and Adalind where sitting. Adalind put her things on the chair Nick had taken the arm of a million times, nervous and worried about all the things that could possibly go wrong here, "Do you really think this will work?"

"We've got to smoke her out of her hiding place somehow," Hank replied.

"Every eye in the department is on your place," Nick added in.

"Thank you," Adalind offered a smile, "Now we just have to worry about Juliette coming home early."

Nick nodded, "I wouldn't worry too much, she and I had plans she's already had to cancel on for an attack that injured six cows."

Adalind smiled, "Of course. She has the biggest heart when it comes to animals."

Nick smiled, turning back to the file in his hand and looking it over while Adalind and Hank talked. Hank asked about food and Adalind pointed him to the kitchen, "Help yourself."

Nick thought over the whole _Hexenbeist_ thing in his head, knowing that he had to bring up the whole Grimm thing with his best friend's girlfriend sooner or later. He knew well what she was, though she probably didn't know he knew. He wondered vaguely what it was like for _Wessen_ to look at him. Was it like him, where he saw the worst of the beast inside coming out, stuck in the forefront and forced to be viewed, though neither party wanted it? Or was it more subtle than that? A smaller way to know, that could be easily missed, passed over unless you knew what you were looking for, like tattoos detailed in ways that made them unique, though they looked just the same as any other tattoo.

Hank called from the kitchen that he was making tea. Nick jumped at the sound he wasn't expecting, mind flashing back to Hulda for a split second before the image was gone just as quick. Hank noticed, "Chamomile, nice and relaxing. I'm making yours a double, Nick."

"Thanks, Hank," Nick replied breathlessly.

Adalind said nothing until Hank was back in the kitchen and no longer paying attention. "Nick?" she asked softly.

"Adalind. The night my Aunt came out of her coma. You were in bed right?" Nick asked, eyes still on the floor.

Adalind furrowed her brows, "Yeah, with Juliette all night. Why? What's wrong?"

"I visited my Aunt that night and a woman who looked remarkably similar to you came in and tried to kill her. She got me instead. Before she left, I saw her face shift. It changed into a kind of demonic, half-dead _thing_. It scared the living Hell out of me."

"Nick, I think you've been watching too many horror shows."

"No, I know it was real. Because I've seen you do it too. And three of the past cases I've dealt with have been related to that kind of thing. A _Wessen_ kind of thing."

Adalind's face shifted, changed into the same shift Nick had seen that day at the jewelry store, a growl slipping past her rotted lips. Nick flinched as he met her eyes, then Adalind shook off the shift, head whipping back and forth as if she could physically shake the change off of her permanently. She met Nick's eyes again, " _Grimm_."

Nick nodded, "I'm not going to hurt you, Adalind. I just-" he broke himself off, a sigh cutting through his mouth and into the open air. He took a deep breath to steady himself, hoping to get rid of the sudden trembling. "I just want you to know. You and Juliette are important to me and with you being a _Hexenbeist_ , it helps me feel like I'm not so crazy."

Adalind nodded, "I understand. Believe me, I thought I was going crazy too when I first hit the changes. It's okay, I get it." She took his hand, looking him right in the eyes and smiled, "It's okay, Nick."

Nick smiled back, shaky and uneven, but there, "Thank you."

"Can I get a little help here!" Hank shouted from the kitchen.

Nick quirked an eyebrow, then stood, giving Adalind back her hand, "Back in a sec." He headed into the kitchen to find Hank swatting at _dozens_ of bees while the open window let in many, _many_ more. Hank's next swat brought down the blinds, they clattered uselessly to the floor as Hank tossed Nick the rag and groaned, "The window won't budge."

The bees began to get more aggressive and Nick backed away. Hank growled, "It's like they're coming after us."

 _We're protecting the person they want to kill. Of course, they're coming after us._ Nick thought sarcastically. Then, as suddenly as they arrived, they were gone, flying off somewhere else.

"Where are they going?" Hank asked redundantly.

Nick turned, red filling his stomach, "Adalind." He rushed back into the living room, calling for his friend. He came face to face with an empty room, bees buzzing angrily on the window, and immediately wanted to scream. They'd taken Adalind. Nick's stomach turned, They'd run out of time.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Nick ran for the door, opening it and calling, "No sign of forced entry!"

Hank came running after him, "Why would she run?"

Nick ran out into the yard, "Her car's still here, she didn't take it!"

"I'm heading to the streets!" Hank shouted to Nick, taking off down the road and calling Adalind's name and pulling his phone out to call for backup.

Nick went back inside to search the house, praying that they found her. He searched the entire house, hoping somehow that she'd just gone to the restroom and hadn't heard them calling, but knowing that it was far more likely she'd been taken. He noticed then that the basement door was open. Rushing over, he threw the door open, pulled his gun, and headed into the dark. The basement was covered in bees. They buzzed angrily at him as he passed, "Adalind?" he asked, hoping she heard him.

A woman stepped out of the darkness, a triggered syringe in her hand. Nick aimed the gun at her, "Melissa Wincroft, drop you weapon."

"I have to kill her, you have to understand," Melissa replied instead.

"Drop your weapon, I'm arresting you for the murders of Serena Dunbrook and Camilla Gotlieb," Nick demanded again.

"I did it for you, to protect you," Melissa replied, not moving an inch.

"That's not an excuse, Miss Wincroft. Drop your weapon."

"We're clarions. We send the warning call. We're on your side. The lawsuit, it was a conspiracy to get rid of us. They're not just lawyers." Melissa turned, began walking towards something Nick couldn't see.

"Doesn't matter. You killed two people." Nick stepped closer, hoping he didn't have to use deadly force.

"Two _Hexenbeists,_ " Melissa corrected him, "Closing the mill was their way of stopping us from warning you."

"Warning me?" Nick asked softly, curiosity piqued.

Melissa faced him again, "Something's coming. Something bad. I have to finish this."

Nick rounded the corner, saw what she was planning to do, and cried out, "Melissa, don't!"

Adalind was pinned to the wall. Nick tried to get around, but he was swarmed by bees, not stinging him, but stopping his every move. He was forced to watch helplessly as Adalind and Melissa fought, trying the whole time to get a clean shot. Their faces shifted, bodies following and the fight continued more aggressively, Melissa fighting to kill Adalind, and Adalind fighting for her life. They kicked, scratched, and bit at each other, picking up whatever was closest and swinging it.

Adalind called out, "Nick, I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."

Melissa snapped back, "Don't let her fool you!"

Nick was an excellent cop, he knew how to filter through the bullcrap and focus on the matters at hand, but with so much to filter through, he was finding it incredibly difficult to focus. They both shouted at him, Adalind calling out apologies, telling Melissa she was sorry and that she was only doing her job while Melissa tried to get Nick to help her. "He's a cop!" Adalind snarled in replied to something Nick hadn't caught.

"You're a Grimm! That's more important!" Melissa shouted to the dark-haired male.

Nick felt his stomach drop, but he'd worry about those emotions later. Adalind fought back with a renewed vigor, "He's not a killer, you _bitch_!"

Nick dropped the gun on a hunch and the bees let him pass. He aimed the gun again, "Melissa, back away!"

Melissa pushed Adalind up against the wall, effectively disabling her. Then started in on Nick, blood dripping into her eyes. Nick called out, but when she didn't stop, he regretfully pulled the trigger and put two bullets into her torso. She dropped to her knees on the ground and opened her mouth, "He's coming for you."

"Who is?" Nick asked.

Melissa's face shifted, then shifted back, "Beware, It's coming." Then she fell to the ground, her bees dropping from the air to match her.

Nick gasped, panting sharply, then raced up the stairs. "Adalind?" he asked, pulling the blonde woman up.

Adalind's eyes opened slowly, then tears gathered in them and she began to cry. Nick held her close, feeling her clutch at the back of his jacket. He held her tightly while she cried, pulling his cell phone to call for Hank and Wu. He needed a drink and his lovers after this.

And maybe something else as well. He didn't quite believe in ghost stories, but he'd go a visit regardless.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Once everything was over, forms filled out and Nick had been debriefed after the shooting, Nick drove home, perfectly willing to let his lovers take care of him for a while. Just until he stopped feeling so numb.

Monroe and Rosalee both greeted him at the door, letting him strip his gun, badge, and jacket before pulling him into twin hugs. Nick relaxed into the feeling, letting the stress melt off his shoulders. It was silent for a long while, then Nick asked, "Could you drive me to see Aunt Marie?"

Monroe and Rosalee nodded, herding him out to the car and sitting with him when they reached her grave. He picked up the flowers he'd left the day they'd buried her, replacing them with newer flowers. There they stayed for hours. Nick glanced at Monroe and Rosalee, "Being a Grimm isn't more important than being human right?" Monroe and Rosalee exchanged glances, then shook their heads rapidly.

"No," Monroe stated firmly.

"Of course not," Rosalee added.

Nick nodded, "Good."

They stayed there longer, Nick's mind calling up the things his Aunt had told him. _You have to hunt down the bad ones just like your ancestors did,_ echoed in his mind. How did he tell which ones were bad ones? He'd just shot one of them today, all she'd done was what she thought was right.

Rosalee laid her head on Nick's shoulder, "Hank said you did the right thing."

"Sometimes, it's not that simple," Nick replied.

"If it was simple, they wouldn't need you," Monroe interjected, coming around to Nick's other side and putting an arm around his waist.

Nick shook his head, "I don't think I made any difference. I tried to stop it, but I didn't."

"I think you made a pretty big difference to Adalind and Juliette, who both got to go home and see each other tonight," Rosalee replied.

"Doesn't that make you feel a little bit better about what happened?" Monroe asked.

Nick slowly smiled, then nodded, "Yeah, it does." He pressed kisses to Rosalee's forehead and Monroe's cheek, then sighed, "Let's go home." They turned away from the grave, heading home for the night. A bee buzzed ominously overhead, then landed on Nick's hand. He watched it for a moment, then gently shook his hand and dislodged the bee, hurrying after his lovers.

The bee buzzed after him, then stopped and buzzed away. Nick watched it leave, a sense of foreboding filling his stomach with ice. Then Monroe pulled him into another hug and the ice melted away. Tomorrow's problems could be worried about tomorrow. Right now, Nick wanted to enjoy the present.

If Melissa Wincroft were to be believed, he may not be able to enjoy the present soon.

**Author's Note:**

> (1) So, I headcanon that Nick is the kind of person to help you study if you need it and I know that a lot of people who study medical practices, animals or humans, or something similar have a lot of work to go through. So, the 'Nick helping his best friend study' headcanon was born. And he didn't spend hours staying up all night with her learning about all kinds of different animals and watching documentaries for no reason.
> 
> (2) Fun fact: I have an entire list of people who I like to imagine will sit on the arm of the chair whenever they can. Nick is on this list not just because of this scene, but because I honestly felt that it would be just like him. I like to think he does it specifically to get a reaction out of Adalind, but also because to him it's an excellent way to slow his brain down, forcing him to focus on staying balanced while sitting cross-legged on the arm of the couch or a chair. (Monroe and Rosalee found this odd at first, Rosalee's had at least one talk with Nick about it.)
> 
> (3) So, I said that there isn't much that can shock or surprise you and that's technically true. However, that being said, things can still make you sick to your stomach. Think of it like a video game, desensitized to the violence but sickened by the actions.


End file.
